7 Reasons Why Madison, Wisconsin Is The Best Place To Live In America

A view of Madison on the isthmus between Lake Mendota
and Lake Monona.
Flickr/Alan Wolf

Residential resource company Livability recently released
its annual list
of the 100 best places to live in the US, looking at factors like
access to schools, hospitals, and infrastructure; affordability
and income; and how residents take advantage of those
opportunities.

Since Madison, Wisconsin topped Livability's list, Business
Insider took a closer look at 7 things that make Madison, a
northern midwest city of 235,000, stand out from the rest.

1. It's a vibrant cultural hub of art, music, food, and beer

Madison is ranked fifth in
Livability's list of best food cities for its collection of
renowned chefs, top restaurants, and food cooperatives and
festivals that take advantage of locally grown foods. Other major
annual events like the Art Fair on the
Square and the Great Taste of the
Midwest celebrate Madison's thriving art and craft beer
scenes.

Madison also had more rock shows per capita than any other city
with the exception of Austin, Texas, according
to a 2010 report by Songkick, which also hailed Madison for
having some of the cheapest concert ticket prices.

2. It's a college town where students actively support the
community

The University of Wisconsin-Madison believes strongly in a
tradition of improving people's lives outside of the classroom,
known as the Wisconsin Idea.
Examples cited
by Livability include collecting and distributing farm
crops for needy families, mentoring and tutoring programs for
local school children, and a university policy of offering free
humanities courses to low-income adults.

University of
Wisconsin-Madison students organized this snowball fight after a
2009 winter storm.Flickr/Serene
Silence

3. It's a naturally beautiful city with plenty of outdoor
activities

Madison's iconic State Street is a beautiful downtown center for
shopping, eating, and entertainment, notes
Livability. Spanning a narrow strip of land between the
scenic Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, the street is also banked by
the impressive Wisconsin State Capitol building and University of
Wisconsin-Madison.

Five lakes in the city's vicinity offer ample recreational
opportunities such as fishing and boating, in addition to the 20
miles of trails in the 1,260-acre University of Wisconsin
Arboretum. Being a northern city also has its benefits, as
residents can drive short distances to ski resorts.

4. There is very little concentrated poverty

While Madison has poverty like any city, only 20.4% of its poor
population lived in neighborhoods with poverty rates of 20% or
higher from 2008 to 2012,
according to the Brookings Institution. That represents the
lowest share of the poor population living in high-poverty and
distressed neighborhoods among the 100 U.S. cities studied.

5. It is one of the most accommodating cities for cyclists

6. Young professionals are benefiting from a boom in downtown
housing development

Educated 20- and 30-something professionals are moving into
high-density rental apartment units popping up all over Madison's
downtown area like never before,
reported The Capital Times early this year. The city's 2014
development projects are worth $337 million, of which $213
million are for new apartments. The high demand is fueled by the
proximity of the university and large private-sector employers
offering steady work.

7. Madison is the "greenest" city around

NerdWallet named Madison the greenest city in America,
awarding high marks for air quality and a ratio of 12.7 parks per
10,000 residents, more than any other city. The ranking took into
account Madison's 200 miles of hiking and biking trails and the
fact that there are more bicycles in the city than cars.